A Salinas track and field athlete who was stripped of her state title for how she celebrated the win is considering taking legal action.
Clar Adams, 16, won the 400-meter race at the state championships last Saturday and, as a celebration, doused her shoes with a fire extinguisher. Adams said it was a tribute to Olympic champion Maurice Greene, but high school track officials said it was out of bounds.
Watch NBC Bay Area News free wherever you are
WATCH HERE"I walked off the track, made sure I wasn’t on the long jump pit. I went on the grass and sprayed my spikes because ‘my feet were on fire," Adams said.
On Friday, Adams and members of the community rallied behind the fight to restore the medal taken from her.
At North Salinas High School, her family and attorney demanded that the California Interscholastic Federation restore her status as state champion.
After her win, track officials rushed over and, Adams claims, grabbed her arm and started shouting.
"They were, like, ‘we’re disqualifying you for unsportsmanlike conduct, 'and I was just, like, ‘what?' I can’t even explain what was going through my mind because it was, like, blank," she said.
Local
Adams' family said they were angry because she was grabbed and because she was disqualified, stripped of her medal, and banned from another race.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news with the Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
SIGN UP Bay Area civil rights attorney Adante Pointer said the CIF is on notice to give her the gold medal or go to court.
"On top of that, they also need to compensate her for the emotional distress they caused her, as well as her father, who was there to witness this outrageous act by these officials," Pointer said. "So we’re looking to make sure the whole CIF is accountable."
The CIF has not responded to NBC Bay Area's request for comment on Friday.
Adams said she is undergoing counseling for what happened and what didn't happen.
"I’ll never get the moment back for me to stand on that podium as a sophomore, as a champion," she said. "I’ll never get that back. I’ll never get that back to enjoy the medal around my neck around everybody. And I’ll never get that back to run the 200, and we’ll never know what could’ve happened.”
There is no set time for the CIF and Adams' legal team to reach a resolution.
Adams is now shifting her focus to competing in the Nike Outdoor Nationals in two weeks.
